Equivocal
by IceHaze
Summary: Sasuke couldn't believe it all started with a simple game of Pac-man. [Anthology]
1. Blinky, Pinky, Inky, You

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any video game franchise...or any other franchise for that matter including Naruto. Man...life sucks :/  
><strong>Timeline<strong>: Completely Alternate Universe/Other World  
><strong>Pairing<strong>:SasukexSakura  
><strong>Author's Notes<strong>: Written for SasuSaku Month under the "AU" prompt/"Change" theme.  
>You know, I <em>was<em> going to write a riveting story of compelling characters who transcended their normal lives in some type of significant alteration from their previous seemingly meaningless existence which would thereby enrich their purpose for persevering in their current predicament. But then my beta read the prompt, thought "quarters", and subsequently said "Pac-man" and I thought to myself: "Oh, yes! That's much better than what I thought!"

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><p><strong>Equivocal<strong>

_"The way to a man's heart is through a melee attack."_  
><em>-Kevin Butler<em>

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><p>"Hey did you see that? I was really grabbing air!"<p>

He made no attempt to look over, fully content with gazing at the clouds. "No."

"Damn it, you bastard! I told you to look. Just watch. I'll do it again."

He watched as his friend grabbed his skateboard and headed over to the ramp. His right foot kicked off the ground bit by bit until his body was moving in a smooth motion on the board. And when he crouched to grab his board in order to make the jump on the rail, he smirked as said friend skidded off and fell shoulder first on the wooden ramp.

"Your grace never ceases to amaze me."

"Well if you looked earlier, you would have seen it!"

"You falling flat against the ramp? Once is enough."

"Damn you! I really did do it. You saw it didn't you Sai?"

"Actually I have been preoccupied reading this book."

He collapsed in defeat on a bump in the concrete floor. Neither of his friends had seen the move, busy with their own activities. Sai was sitting on the ledge reading over his sociology book while Sasuke was leaning against the ramp staring at the clouds.

"You guys suck."

"Whatever. If you're done smashing your head against the pavement, let's get going. We have to meet up with Neji and the others in an hour. If we don't hurry, we'll miss the trolley."

"Fine." He picked up his skateboard and ran over to the group, tossing it on the floor before hopping on and gliding alongside them. "Hey, you think his cousin will be there?" He smiled goofily, baring all teeth and allowing the blush to cover his face.

"Neji better not catch you thinking about his cousin that way. The last guy that tried to hit on her ended up riding the trolley to school for a couple weeks."

"What's so bad about that?"

He smirked. "Because he usually rides his bike to school."

Naruto paled and gulped a small amount of spit, mouth suddenly dry as to the repercussions of crossing Neji's boundaries. He glanced over at Sai who lifted his head away from his reading material to smile at him.

"Don't worry Naruto. Your penis is too small to calculate an accurate aim; I'm sure he'll miss it."

He glared over at both—one continuing his reading and the other suppressing a snort.

"Shut up." He hopped off his board and kicked it into the air before grabbing it and tucking it under his arm. The sounds of a trolley became louder and in just a couple of minutes, their ride was within reach.

The group settled for standing by the edge. Their destination was not too far off and they were hesitant upon wrestling with the inner crowd of the trolley. In the end, it was simply more convenient to wait. And in only fifteen minutes of commuting did their ride stop at their desired destination.

"Approximately how long will this meeting take place?"

"It's not a meeting, Sai. We're hanging out."

"I only ask because I would like to get home in time to finish my homework."

"Same here."

He growled quietly. "You guys suck! Who does their homework on a Friday night? Just wait 'till Sunday night to do it, like me."

"Yeah and fail all my classes like you as well? Forget it, loser. Wouldn't want to pick up your habits and get held back a few years."

"That was only one year! In anyway, the only reason I got held back was because that stupid old hag had it in for me."

"Yes. Never mind all the tests you flunked."

"Again, her fault."

"Actually, I was on the student board that year. I do believe your scores were in fact the lowest in the class."

"Shut up, Sai."

Sasuke turned away and ignored the oncoming tantrum his friend was about to throw. Even as they entered the mall and walked down the busy paths, they continued their banter. It was at times like these he chose to pretend that he wasn't even associated with the two. And so he looked around the mall at the various stores, planning out his route. The only real reason he came was to pick up the newest game for his platform but it wouldn't hurt to indulge in other specialty stores. He did need some new stationaries and a calendar for his mother. There was also the matter of food; with his parents gone until Sunday, he and his brother were pretty much on their own. And he didn't expect Itachi to welcome him back with a homecooked meal.

They settled into the food court and sat at a table, each person ordering from a different store. And when he looked over at Naruto and Sai's selection, he was glad that food courts offered more variety. He could just never stomach anything his friends usually ate.

"This stuff tastes great."

He didn't agree with that; sweets never settled well with him but he didn't press the matter. It would only lead to more arguing and Sai was doing a good enough job keeping up with Naruto in terms of quarrels. They were quite exasperating. He would gladly forego meeting with the others and venture off on his own. He was secretly desperate to run home to try out the new game, the homework from earlier being nothing more than an excuse. But of course, Naruto didn't need to know that.

"Hey look at the arcade. I think I see some new stuff in there."

Sasuke's eyes traveled over across the mall and from a small distance, he could see the arcade they visited since they were children. It was, in fact, different. He couldn't make out any specific games, but the layout certainly was not the same which was a good indicator that the arcade was newly renovated.

"We should head over there and kill some time."

"But won't Neji be upset if we aren't waiting for him here?"

"It's only for a little while, Sai. We can text him where we're going to be."

After finishing up their meal, they strolled over to the arcade. Several other people had already crowded inside, many of them around their age which may have suggested that the games were an upgrade from the childish ones that used to adorn the place.

"Hey bastard, try this one. It's a shooter game so it's right up your alley."

He walked over and picked up the gun, watching as his friend slipped in a few coins into the machine. A few seconds later, several little ships began to fly around the screen. With little effort, he managed to shoot every target and earn the highest score. Something he kept even after Naruto made a failed attempt.

"Damn. I was so close too."

"This game is too boring."

"Yeah but isn't it awesome? The way you shoot with the control and it knows exactly where you're aiming. It's magic."

"It is quite innovative. But actually, Naruto, I believe it's infrared. You see, the electronic device is communicating with…"

"Just please, shut up."

"That still doesn't change the fact that the game was too easy. What's so challenging about a bunch of objects scattering across the screen waiting for you to kill them? If you ask me, its just a waste of money." He sighed in irritation. All technology aside, the gameplay was too bland for his taste, offering little to challenging his skills as a gamer. It was convoluted with mediocre graphics, unoriginal storylines, crappy artificial intelligence and predictable gameplay. It was the exact reason he never played the Wii.

"Then shut up and scoot over. Let me and Sai play."

"Gladly," he deadpanned. And when he moved away from the area, he began to take notice of more people drawing in, the crowded area making him feel slightly claustrophobic. The people from earlier had moved onto a racing game. Similar machines were lined up against the wall. One was shaped like a motorbike, the one next to it resembled skis. More sports related machines trailed alongside them and he noted that even those games were slightly more enjoyable then the shooter he just played. If he could acknowledge that it even fit the genre.

His eyes scanned the room to find another distraction. He then noticed people from his own school gathering around some of the games. There was the blonde girl, Ino, from his art class as well as several other girls from her immediate clique. He sank further into the wall to keep himself hidden. The last thing he needed was to gain their attention. But he did, however, acknowledge their taste in video gaming. The girls were engrossed with what he considered a true shooter game. There was a flat screen television mounted on the wall and his favorite gaming console connected to it. Along with it, one of the best shooter games he had come to know. He watched them for a few minutes, mildly impressed by their skills when he noticed one of the girls in the group leaving and heading over to another section of the arcade—one much more desolate than the others. And he wondered if perhaps the crowd got to her as well.

She began to insert some coins into the bulky machine, a game that didn't conceal its age. He could tell from the obvious faded coloring and worn out edges. On top of that, it was composed of only two handles and six buttons, if even that. He watched her as she stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth and removed some small beads of sweat from her brow. Her hands moved in a rough and swift motion, most likely from the fact that controls that old tended to jerk awkwardly or get stuck if you moved too softly. She jerked the handles back and forth, up and down. So entranced by her movements, he didn't notice when a hand slithered across his neck.

"What are you looking at bastard? Checking out some girl?"

"I'm not you, idiot." He shoved the hand away and kept some distance.

"If you say so. Anyway, Neji just texted me so we have to go now."

"Fine." He ignored Naruto once again, leaving the arcade without so much as a second glance behind. And he ignored the rest of the group during the meeting. After they went to the shop and purchased their games, he could think of nothing else but getting home. And so he bid the group a quiet farewell as he hopped onto the trolley and rushed into his house.

When his feet were a few steps away from his room, he began to hear sounds coming from his brother's room. Wanting to verify that his parents would be gone the next few days which would allow him the opportunity to stay up late and play his game, he walked over and knocked only twice before opening the door. His brother was currently lounging on his bed across from his television with a control held casually in his hands. His companion was seated right next to him and Sasuke immediately recognized this to be his girlfriend. They were never open about the situation, but the proximity of which they were currently situated proved otherwise.

"You need something?"

"I just wanted to double check that mom and dad will be gone all weekend and…" he glanced over at the screen, the images stirring a sudden recognition in his brain. "What are you playing?"

"Pac-man. Want a turn?"

"Why? That game's so old. Our toaster has more technology than that."

"Can't beat the classics."

"Come Sasuke; join us."

Itachi's girlfriend scooted over more, urging him to sit on the bed with them. But this was definitely not a situation he wanted to get stuck in. Far be it from him to interrupt his brother's quality time with the girl.

"I'll pass."

He shut the door behind him and rushed over to his room, sliding the disc into the console and picking up the controller to begin playing. As the screen showed up and played out the opening sequence, he began to think back to his brother's game. The creatures on the screen were very similar to the ones he noticed back at the arcade on the gargantuan machine that girl was playing. And on that very note, he recalled why the girl looked familiar. She was Sakura, her last name evading his mind. She was in a few classes with Neji, none with him at all and so he only ever knew _of_ her. Occasionally she would show up to some of his track competitions, mostly to accompany Ino whose interests were beyond the sport. But why she strayed from her group to play that pitiful game was beyond his comprehension. Technology had advanced, why move backwards?

The game began to play the title screen and he grabbed his controller, completely forgetting all previous thoughts. He marveled at the graphics and relished the gameplay; it was a much better improvement from the crappy one at the arcade. His hands took over and his mind was a blur as he continued to play. He continued throughout most of the night, stopping only when he came to a checkpoint to save the game. He reluctantly listened to his tired body and prepared for sleep, eagerly awaiting the next day to continue his routine.

And so when the sun rose, he quickly threw on some pants and plopped on his chair, ready for more. But when he heard giggles down the hallway, he froze. Itachi's girlfriend had obviously spent the night and they were continuing their activities even into the early morning. The sounds grew louder and he could tell they must have just come up the steps. He was willing to drown out the noise by increasing his television's volume but when heard a bang against the wall, he frowned and shut the system off. He wanted to be as far away from the house as possible.

A quick shower and a change of clothes later, he grabbed a pastry for the commute and sped off. The store they visited the previous day still had their console set up for some demos. It would be enough to pass the time until his brother made the decisions to shoo his girlfriend away. With his parents arriving Sunday, Itachi wouldn't risk keeping her another night. And so the afternoon was just a waiting game as far as he was concerned.

His legs moved in careful strides, entering the mall and relishing in the cool air that circulated. He recovered shortly from the heat outside and walked quickly through the food court, intently focused on reaching the game store. But when he glanced over to his left after leaving the area, he noticed the arcade from the other day and with it, the girl as well.

She was still sitting there, at the exact same game with the exact same expressions on her face. In fact, had it not been for the obvious change of attire, he probably would have gone on believing she spent the entire night sitting down and playing that game. He shrugged it off at first, but then quickly turned around. His brother also enjoyed it playing it and he recalled a few of his friends from when they were little indulgin in it on an old console. The curiosity at what captivation could be found with this game became overwhelming, and he found himself walking briskly over to the arcade. He settled on a game near her, an old pachinko machine, and observed her secretly from peripheral vision.

The little yellow figure was running around the screen, gobbling up small dots and either consuming or evading the little ghosts that ran amok. It took him only twenty seconds to understand the concept of the entire game and he frowned when he realized each stage was essentially the same concept. The layout changed, the pace changed and the computer was obviously wising up, but essentially, it was a series of repetitive gameplay—much like the shoddily run game from before. And after losing quick interest, he continued on with his game, losing interest in that as well soon after. He was about to retire from the arcade before he heard that same girl curse.

"Damn it! I should have so seen that coming!"

She reached over to her purse and began to rummage through it. He knew instantly she was looking for change. The screen on the game had a timer and it appeared she only had ten seconds to place more quarters before continuing the game. Perhaps she was one of those gamers who insisted on achieving the highest score possible. He smirked at the fact that he too was one of those gamers.

She picked through the purse and cursed more at not finding her quarters. And when she was only three seconds away from a game over and starting the entire thing from scratch, did he quickly reach past her and slide in two of his own.

"Oh, um…thanks."

"Ah."

The girl immediately ignored him and went right back to the game. He walked right behind her, watching as she continued to play. And she must have either been oblivious to his presence or used to an audience because her concentration did not falter once. That same tongue stuck out and that similar rhythmic pattern of control clanking ensued.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Hang on…just let me...get this…first…"

She maneuvered the character around until all dots were completely consumed. And only then did she turn around.

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering, what is so fascinating about this game?"

"About Pac-man?"

"Yes."

"You're asking me what's so great about _Pac-man_?"

He sighed. "Yes."

"Uh, what country are you from? Wait, I take that back since even people across seas enjoy this game."

"I just don't see any merit in the gameplay. It's quite tedious and redundant."

"Whoa, whoa. Did you just say there's no merit in Pac-man?"

"Ah."

She looked over at him and drew her hand to her chin, carefully assessing him. "Let me guess, you're one of those Halo fanatics, right?"

"I wouldn't quite word it that way but, yes. I do, in fact, enjoy that game."

She let out a sharp breath. "Halo sucks. You think Pac-man is repetitive? That series just recycles the same theme with every new game."

"I beg to differ. That game is much more sophisticated than _this_ sorry excuse for a game. It offers much more interaction and strategy in its gameplay. You have to plan ahead and carefully evade your targets in order to make the right assessment when you confront them."

"Oh, please. What's there to assess? You run around shooting anything that moves. I've actually played some of those stages with my eyes closed and still managed to take down the enemy. Bet you can't say the same about Pac-man, huh?"

"I've actually never played it before."

She froze right in front him. Her eyes blinking blankly back into his.

"What?"

"I have never played Pac-man before."

"No. I'm not hearing this. You have never played this game…_ever_?"

"That's correct."

"This won't do at all." She grabbed a hold of his sleeve and threw him to the game. "Play."

"I have no interest in this game."

"What? Afraid you can't beat my high score? Yeah, it figures. Halomaniacs. You guys just have no appreciation for the classics. But okay, if you're afraid you'll lose, scoot over so I can un-pause this game."

He held his position and firmly stopped her from moving him. "One round."

She smiled. "One round."

He hit the button a few times, frowning when they became stuck and wouldn't allow him to unfreeze the screen.

"You have to mash harder."

"I know that."

"And you have to be firm with the joystick as well."

"I know!" He wanted to add a comment about how he watched her move earlier but debated against it.

Sasuke dove right into the game, manuevering his character fairly well. And he was halfway through eating all the dots before discovering one of the ghosts had suddenly changed back to color. He frowned when it did so at the exact moment he was going to eat it. "That's not fair. It changed back as I ate it."

"It's like it _knows,_ right?"

He ignored the sarcasm and hit the button to continue. He finished up until only one fruit and a quarter of the dots remained. As he maneuvered the character to the right, the pink ghost suddenly jumped a few spaces and attacked him. "What the hell was that?"

"Yeah, you gotta watch out for Pinky. She's a bitch."

"Pinky?"

"Why yes. These are bona fide characters. Doesn't your Halo game have them too?"

"They're stupid."

"I completely agree."

"I meant these ghosts. And this game has one too many glitches."

"All the better to test your reflexes and improvisation skills."

"Whatever."

He went back to the game. He worked around the maze more and was almost successful in getting the last dot until all the ghosts suddenly cornered him by gliding through the barriers. "Oh come on now! They went right through the wall! How is that fair?"

"Yeah, they're assholes that way."

"You know what? This game doesn't even warrant judgment. I'm finished."

"Already? You haven't even beaten one stage yet."

"This is a pathetic game and a waste of quarters."

"Only if you're a loser that keeps getting game overs."

His eyebrow made an involuntary movement at her remark.

"Your loss. But on the plus side, we didn't get a game over…_yet_ anyway. Oh well. Why don't you go back to shooting your little monsters." She cracked some knuckles and stretched before moving over to sit down. Before she could rest on it, however, a firm hand grabbed hers and shoved her back.

Sasuke immediately went back and sat down, angrily tossing some quarters into the slot and going back to the joystick in a second attempt at the game. He played several rounds, losing some and winning others while all the way through, getting yelled at for his wrong moves and decisions. It was like driver's education courses all over again. But despite his sluggish beginnings, he eventually got the hang of it, even passing by all the glitches without any problems. And when he did finally get the dreaded game over, he was satisfied with his results. Until he saw the score chart.

"Well, guess I'm still number one. But you know, six is okay…for a noob."

He could ignore the sarcasm in her voice. He could ignore the fact that, for once, he did not make the top three scores. And he could even ignore the fact that a girl had just bested him in a video game. What he couldn't ignore was that this stupid game seemed to mock at him at every turn. It was almost as if it was challenging him to continue. And as stupid as it may have appeared, he gladly accepted.

She was stopped once again as she attempted to leave. "What now?"

"You…me…battle for the top score."

"I don't have any quarters left."

He reached over to his pocket and drew out his wallet , shoving a few bills into her stomach.

She smiled and ran over to the machine, bringing back several quarters after a couple of minutes.

They began to play again, with Sasuke insisting he go first. He was much more efficient in his movements now and careful to assess everything. Even the random glitches were not a bother. After going through several rounds and getting his game over, he smirked at the score board.

"Looks like I'm number one now."

"Hey, not bad. My turn."

She took over and effortlessly worked her way across the maze. He could tell she had been playing this game for years. The first few stages didn't even require strategy from her part and she easily guided the character around, a second nature movement on her part. After reaching past several stages, the score board reappeared. He frowned as he realized he was no longer on top.

"Yay. I'm number one again!"

"You beat me by a hundred and thirty-six points."

"Yep. All in a day's work." She got up to leave and sighed when she was grabbed again.

"What now?"

"We're not leaving yet."

"Uh, sorry pal. But I've got to get home in time for dinner. My mom will freak if I'm late."

"Then tomorrow."

"Look, I get that your testosterone is doing weird things to you right now and it must be embarrassing and all for your male pride to lose to a girl in video games, but I've been playing this game for years. You can't beat my score."

"Tomorrow," he replied firmly.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. Look, if you want to go at it with me again tomorrow, fine. But you should probably polish up your skills first."

"How?"

"Well, you could always buy the old game from the vintage store not too far from here. I would have suggested downloading it on the virtual console on your Wii but my guess is that a Halo freak like you worships the 360 and thus wouldn't have one."

"It's a shitty console."

"As I thought. So just go to the vintage shop and get yourself the original Nintendo system or an Atari. They should have that game somewhere in the store as well."

"Fine."

"So meet you back here at the same time?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. See you then."

She ran this time, most likely avoiding another pull from his end. He watched her leave his vision before doing as she instructed and crossing the street over to the vintage shop. They had several old game consoles and complimentary games. He was quite surprised at how cheap and expensive some were depending on the franchise. Luckily for him, his game was on the lower end of prices. And after selecting the older system as she suggested, he headed back home and rushed up the stairs to enter his room. He frowned when he realized that his station would need a little tweaking as a plug was too outdated for his television. It took a few minutes to adjust and he was ready to play it. The screen popped up and immediately he felt he was taken back a decade as the game had a complete retro feel to it. Highly pixelated graphics, eight-bit music and simple geometric figures to represent characters. Even the buttons on the controller were tough, just like the arcade.

He smirked; she would not best him.

Just like the previous night, he did nothing but play and eat, attempting to figure out every angle to the game. And after spending all night practicing for the challenge, he was completely confident he would be able to defeat her score. Which was why the next day, he was much more composed—his usual cocky self.

"I take it you practiced."

He simply smirked and sat down on the seat. He got through every level of the game and achieved a high score, much higher than he had seen from her yesterday. There was no way she could defeat him. And as he watched her finish through the game easily, he realized that horrible truth.

"Well we tied. Not bad. Let's shake hands."

There was no way she could defeat him.

"We tied."

"Yes."

"Our scores are even."

"That's usually what a tie entails, yes."

"No."

"Well what do you expect? We did everything we were supposed to do and got through all the levels. Naturally, we would both get the highest scores."

"Your name is on top."

"Yep. Alphabetical order."

"Again."

She threw her hands in the air. "Seriously? Look, why can't we just make amends and settle with the fact that we both did good?"

"Hmm."

"Boys will be boys. But okay, if you're that serious about beating me, I've got another game in mind. One with a bit more thinking and strategy required. You up for the challenge?"

"Yes."

She motioned to follow and guided him to the end of the classics section. They both grabbed stools to sit around another bulky game.

"What are we playing now?"

She turned to smile at him.

"Tetris."

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><p><strong>Das Ende.<strong>

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Huzzah! I be donez. And who will win? Naturally, Sakura. Halomaniacs tend to lose touch with old school gaming the less they play them. I should know, my big brother can't beat Pong to save his life. (Now I can't get the Tetris theme or Pac-man noises out of my head thanks to this fic. And now...maybe you neither! Wonder how many of you will look up Tetris theme A-SSBB Version on Youtube now?).

Hope you enjoyed the story. And as always...

Review if you like

~_Icehaze_


	2. Emotions at War

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto or it's characters.  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Some cursing maybe. Can't remember.  
><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> _What? Your one-shot is evolving..._

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><p><em> xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <em>

_"You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike."_

_ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

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><p>"So he hasn't contacted you all day?"<p>

Sakura sighed as her fingers played just above the surface of the courtyard's fountain. Every now and then, she spotted clouds from the reflection of the water.

"It's not just today but this whole week. It's like he's avoiding me, or…I don't know. Maybe I'm reading too much into this."

"U-um, well…"

Sakura's gaze in the water soon settled on the reflection of her dark haired friend.

"I'm in Sasuke's physics class, and we do have a lot of homework. On top of that he had his track meeting this week."

"Hinata's right, Sakura. This could just be the case of workload."

Sakura pouted. "He responded to you when you sent him an email, Ino."

She nervously brushed it off. "Well I am in his art class, after all. He was just asking about an assignment. You don't have any classes with him so…"

"Yeah, that's true. I'm probably reading too much into this."

"I say wait until Saturday and see what happens."

"Yeah, I guess."

The water from the fountain began to sprinkle about them; the three paid no mind as they were lost in their own thoughts. But whenever one idea would surface to explain the situation, it was quickly refuted by Sakura as she conjured up a counter-argument for the matter. Ino sighed in resignation, until a spikey haired blonde happened to traverse down the courtyard right before her eyes.

"Oi, Naruto!" She waved crazily in the air.

"What are you doing, Ino? People are watching." Sakura's eyes crossed to the index finger that lay right on her nose.

"Naruto is Sasuke's best friend. If Sasuke won't answer your calls then we can just ask Naruto about it."

The blonde boy sauntered slowly over to the group in mild reluctance. "What the heck is up with you, Ino? There's no need to yell for me like that." His eyes immediately darted to the left when a flash of black hair caught his attention. "Hinata, you're here too? Hey, what do you say we go get something to eat?"

Sakura was just about to save the blushing girl from an embarrassing display of sputtering before Ino stepped up to obscure Naruto's vision.

"What is it?"

"Naruto, Hinata would love to take you up on that offer, but in return…"

"Huh?"

"…in return, we want to know what's up with Sasuke."

"I didn't realize something was wrong him. He seems pretty normal to me."

"See, Ino? Maybe we really are…"

But a hand was smashed against Sakura's face as Ino pushed her aside.

"Cut the bull crap! We know something's wrong."

Naruto drew a blank as he scratched his temple. "Hmm…let's see…"

They waited in suspense for his brain to recollect any piece of vital information to solve the puzzle.

"Sorry guys. I'm not coming up with anything."

"Naruto, you better tell us!"

"Calm down, Ino. If I don't know, I don't know. He's been quiet as usual; he came to hang out the other day and is going to his track meets. I haven't noticed anything else out of the norm. Why are you guys saying that he's acting weird?"

Sakura looked away as Ino gave her a nod to come forth. But when the pink haired girl insisted on dropping the conversation, earning inquisitive looks from Naruto, did Ino once again initiate conversation.

"Sakura here is having a problem with Sasuke."

"Ino!"

"A problem? What kind of a problem?"

"Naruto, did he mention anything about Sakura to you?"

"Eh? Well, no. I mean, guys don't usually talk about stuff like that."

"But surely he's hinted at something."

"I wouldn't know, Ino."

"U-um…Naruto?"

The girls blew strands of hair away when the boy's demeanor was suddenly open and friendly.

"Yeah, Hinata? You ready to go get something to eat?"

"Actually, I think Sasuke is behaving peculiar too. If you don't know anything, then maybe you can help us with your opinion on the situation."

"Hinata's right! A male perspective is what we need."

"But I already told you guys everything I know."

"Well how about we tell you what happened and you can give us your honest opinion?"

"Uh, yeah sure. Whatever." He immediately turned to Sakura. "So tell me what happened."

"Well it all started Monday. Sasuke and I were eating breakfast together like normal. We talked about the usual: homework, plans, family. Then he mentioned if I wanted to come over and play games Friday. I told him I was going to hang out with Neji that day but that I could come over Saturday to hang out. He said whatever. Then we talked more about how the food sucked that morning and our upcoming midterms. Then we departed, and he hasn't answered yet. I've been trying to figure out what time to meet. It's already Thursday, and he hasn't responded to any of the emails or texts I sent him."

"This is so weird, Sakura. I wonder what could be ba…"

But all girls stared in wonder at the boy who had an accusing finger pointed at Sakura and whose jaw dropped in complete astonishment from the story.

"Why are you pointing at Sakura like that?"

"This is bad! This is like major damage!"

"What are you going on about idiot?"

Sakura almost fell into the fountain as the blonde roughly grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"Sakura! Don't you realize what you just did?"

"No."

"Sasuke asked if you wanted to hang out, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And you told him you were already hanging out on Friday with Neji, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, don't you see?!"

"See what?"

"You can't just do that to Sasuke. You're saying you would rather play with Neji first."

Sakura blanched. "You do realize that this sounds stupid, Naruto."

"How can you not get it? You're a fellow gamer! Shame on you!"

"Get what?"

"You just told Sasuke you care about Neji more! That he takes precedence over him. I mean since you chose to be with him first."

"Idiot! Neji asked me first about hanging out. That's why I'm going with him on Friday. And he's my friend too, you know."

Naruto shook his head fiercely. "Sakura! To a guy, who she picks in the end is important. How can you not expect him to be mad?"

"Naruto, I really doubt Sasuke is angry at me over something so trivial."

"How can you say something like this is trivial?"

"Because it is. I don't get mad when he makes plans with you first."

" Ugh! Sakura! This is _different_. You're hanging out alone with Neji—another guy—and that's just not right. After all, don't forget that Sasuke li—" He immediately shoved two hands over his mouth.

"Wait, what was that Naruto?"

"Eh, heh. What do you mean, Ino?"

Ino's fist made it to his collar. "Finish that last part."

"Uh, actually you know what? I just remembered I have a test to study for and need to head over to the library. Hinata I'll have to take a rain check on that lunch."

"Naruto…" warned Ino.

"Gottagoseeyouguys,forgeteverythingIjustsaid. Bye!"

"Hold on Naruto!"

Sakura and Hinata remained seated as their blonde friend became a blurred figure in the background while making her mad dash across the school's courtyard after her fugitive.

"Sakura?"

For once, her brilliance attributed to no logical conclusion. She was sure her face resembled the muddled mess her brain was at the moment.

* * *

><p>Several chips lay scattered across the floor as they were squashed beneath white socks.<p>

"If you're just going to eat, get out of the way! And watch out for these chips. You're going to get crumbs all over my room."

He roughly pushed aside the portly boy and wiped his controller clean of any greasy chip prints.

"I can't help it, Neji. Playing this game always makes me hungry."

"Everything makes you hungry." He sighed when the boy was completely lost in his bag of chips. "Oi, Shikamaru, why don't you take Chouji's place for now?"

"I'll pass. This level is too troublesome. It'll be another twenty five minutes until a checkpoint, and I would much rather finish up this physics homework.

"Fine, whatever. Sasuke?"

The dark haired boy shrugged and grabbed the controller.

"Just focus on long-range. I'll take care of anything that comes in too close."

"Ah."

As the two boys continued to play, the only sounds evident in the room were the firing of gunshots, the scribbling on paper and the crunching of potato chips. Every once in a while they heard Neji's barking commands and Sasuke's grunts of disapproval to his tactics.

"Oi, Neji."

"There's enemy fire coming from the east." He didn't glance back at Shikamaru as he responded with a great fervor to button mashing. "What?"

"We have our project coming up next week. We should get together tonight to work on it a bit."

Rapid gunfire echoed in the background. "I can't tonight."

Sasuke's ear twitched at the response.

"Busy, huh? Well does Sunday sound better then?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

The sounds of Chouji's potato chip crunching were heard as the game loaded to the next screen.

"What are you doing?"

"We're doing something with standard candles and measuring distance to other galaxies." Neji gave a small tsk as he realized his inventory was low.

Sasuke sighed as his partner began to give away their location with accidental fire. "I meant tonight."

"Oh, nothing. Just hanging out with someone to play this new game I got."

The potato chip bag was long forgotten.

"New game? Then do you mind letting me come too?"

"No," was the sharp response.

"You don't have to be so cold, Neji. I promise not to dirty your controller this time."

"No, it's not that. I just…it's kind of a me-and-her thing." He flinched from the oncoming shot to his leg as well as the verbal blunder that escaped his mouth.

"_Her_?"

He didn't even need to turn around to see the smirk on Chouji's face.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Don't think you're going to get away with this. Who is she?"

"No one that matters to you."

"Is it that bun-haired girl in your tennis class?"

"No."

Chouji leaned back on the side of the bed as he stared at the pixels on the screen for more brainpower. "Is it Ino?"

"No, and stop trying to guess." He had to bite down on his teeth from his partner's lack of attention to providing a good support role and from the amused grunt of the other boy busy away at homework.

"It's Sakura, isn't it?"

Neji's finger slipped on the control.

"Way to go idiot. Now we have to start over from the last checkpoint." Sasuke stretched his tired feet and leaned lazily against the wooden study desk.

"Eh? So I guessed it right?"

"Shut up."

"I was simply stating my observations. Sakura is the biggest girl gamer from the gang. After she beat you on Street Fighter that one day at the arcade, I knew you would take interest in hanging out. I mean, it is just hanging out, right?"

"What else could it be?"

Neji glared at Chouji who was now raiding his mini fridge for chocolate snacks.

"Do you like her?"

They waited for his response as he sighed deeply while putting away his game. "She's okay."

Sasuke's eyes dropped to the controller Neji was putting away. After a physical cue from him, he proceeded to turn off the game. As far as he knew him, the guy never took interest in any woman, so he came to the same conclusion he was sure Shikamaru had already deduced. But the awkward moment was easily broken when a large grumbling sound overpowered his thoughts.

"Hungry again?"

"I didn't eat breakfast…late enough."

"Well, I'm getting hungry myself. Let's head over to the hall and see if they're still open. Neji, Sasuke, you guys coming?"

"I think I'm going to get this place cleaned up a bit before Sakura comes over."

"You Sasuke?"

"I'm busy." He quickly exited after grabbing his backpack.

He ignored the quizzical stares of his comrades. He ignored the boy he accidentally bumped into in the hallway leading to his room. But even he could not ignore the familiar pink hair of a girl waiting outside his door.

"Hey, I've been trying to contact you."

"What for?"

"I…um, well you said it was okay to hang out. I wanted to know when and you weren't answering my email."

"I've been busy." He sighed inwardly when she followed him into the room.

"So, are we still good for hanging out?"

"No. I have too much homework." Hands busied away at the materials in his backpack, avoiding the crestfallen look on the girl.

"Oh…well do you need any help? If it's physics, I had that last semester. I could…"

"No."

"Um…well is there—"

"Look, I'm really busy okay? I'll talk to you some other time." Before she could protest or arrange another meeting, he grabbed her by the shoulder and guided her out of the room.

He immediately went straight for his study desk as soon as she was gone. It was a habit he developed over time, to submerge himself in his homework as a means of distraction from the outside world. Every hour or so, he glanced back at his phone to see another message from one of his friends or a status update on his social networks. He fell asleep that night with an uneasy stomach to Neji's own status update and woke up the next day with the remnants of that sickness. And after failing miserably that morning at attempting homework, he collapsed onto his mushroom chair and turned his console on. He smirked upon seeing several of his friends already online and quickly grabbed his headset.

"Oi, you bastard! It's about time. We're getting our asses kicked!"

"Naruto, he's not even on your team this round."

He rolled his eyes at Kiba and Naruto's banter but immediately guided his character into a bunker to avoid oncoming bullets. As he wandered the area in search of some kills to begin his streak, he saw a few more people come online. The crunching sounds and tsks of annoyance undoubtedly belonged to Chouji and Shikamaru. And judging from the coloring by their identification, they were also the enemy. It appeared only Kiba was on his side this go around.

"Kiba, what do you say we keep a personal score? I bet I can get a headshot on Sasuke."

"Three meal's worth of money and you're on."

"Deal."

Sasuke smirked when it was he who landed the first headshot on Naruto.

"You bastard, I'll get you for that!"

He quickly ran through several corridors and out the bunker. He was sure Naruto had scouted him out with the kill cam, so there was no need to linger in the vicinity. But as soon as he rounded the corner, another shot barely managed to land on him. The screen began to pulse a red hue.

"Darn, almost had him."

After a quick recovery, he immediately ran to Shikamaru's hideout. The boy was an infamous camper and was probably already scoping out the next area from which to snipe. It wasn't hard to figure out where. A flash of green passed by his left on a high cliff and he immediately saw a brief glimpse of a helmet hidden behind the plants. After carefully swiping around his area for any oncoming intruders, he lined the perfect shot. The moment his finger was about to mash the button, however, was the moment he glared at the dreaded kill cam and waited for his respawn point to appear.

"Whoa! That was an awesome shot!"

"Yeah, you got Sasuke pretty good!"

Sasuke glared at the name from the enemy lines. He had never seen that identity before, yet Naruto and Chouji seemed to know their partner pretty well.

"Looks like Sasuke was killed by _Dysentery._"

He ignored Shikamaru's comment as well as the snickers from the peanut gallery. When his character finally respawned, he immediately ran into a hut only to be smoked out by that same user, despite being on the same team this time. As he ran for another hiding place, he was shot in the head once again by a sniper anticipating his movements. More snickers ensued.

In the next round, he shot down Naruto and Shikamaru. Two more soldiers were flushed out by Kiba's smoke and they were shot down just as quickly. But before he was able to make his five kill streak, the giggling in the background increased in volume. He realized too late that the same user was now stalking him slowly from behind. He turned around only to be shot at point blank range.

"What the fuck?" Who the hell did this person think he was?

"That was pretty funny, Sakura. I can't believe you managed to pull it off on the bastard."

He froze at the name and the voice that followed.

"Thanks Naruto."

The small talk between Kiba, Naruto and Sakura was drowned out momentarily as he positioned himself in a quiet environment. Why the hell did she…?

Another gunshot and he fell from the high cliff. He growled at what was ensuing. The girl was out to kill him no matter what.

"What the hell is this about?"

"What? I'm just playing the game."

He dove for cover when Naruto yelled 'Recon Plane', barely managing to dodge the hit from _Dysentery_.

"You're following me on purpose."

"You're the enemy this time around. I'm just trying to eliminate you like I'm supposed to."

"There has to be at least fifty other people playing. Why are you only shooting at _me_?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. By the way, my three-kill just became a fourth-kill streak."

A fired shot knocked out Sasuke's ally hidden in the leaves.

"Here's my fifth."

She turned around sharply to stab at the man approaching her rear.

Sasuke's eyes widened when she hesitated, knowing full well what was just about to transpire. He, once again, jumped into a building to keep from getting bombarded.

She smirked at his cowardly escape. "And here's my sixth kill."

He growled when the bombs landed their mark, knocking him out cold.

"Look's like artillery is here."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Me? I'm not the one playing horribly. I thought Naruto said you were good at this game."

His eyes narrowed at what was probably a smirk behind that voice. "How are you even playing? You don't have this game."

"Borrowed it from Ino. By the way, nice shot Shikamaru."

Sasuke winced when his character was shot once again by the camper.

"No problem."

It was no longer his screen that was red.

"Why the fuck are you only shooting me?"

"Why are you angry at me?"

"Because you're a fucking troll!"

"No, I meant, why have you been angry at me this week? You won't return my calls."

The battlefield remained a vicious playground as everyone held their voices in suspense.

"We're not doing this now."

"I didn't do anything wrong."

He ran away from the girl as she pursued him throughout the field. A succession of fire followed his trail.

"Are you stressed from schoolwork?" She cocked her gun and shot a few more times by his feet.

"Shut up!" He dodged the oncoming soldier and stabbed him in the back before running off again.

"Because if you are, I can help."

His Tabun Gas grenade was thrown into a nearby hut. Several soldiers ran out; they were lined up perfectly for his kill shots.

"Are you having family problems?"

The last of the men made a futile attempt to stab him. He received a bullet to the head. "Sakura, stop this right now."

"If you need someone to talk to about this, I'm here for you."

Her next shot barely grazed his shoulder. "I said shut up Sakura. This isn't the time."

She stabbed the man coming at her from the right. "Well you won't answer any of my texts or emails. So obviously you're mad. I just want to know why."

People began to whisper over the voice system. He growled loudly and made another attempt to flee from the girl by diving in for the tank on the streets.

"Are you angry at me? Is that it?"

"Sakura, I swear I'll fucking shoot you!"

He grimaced when the girl hopped into a tank of her own. The two began to play their game of tag down the road of fleeing soldiers.

"Just tell me what I did wrong!"

He heard Shikamaru growl from the barrage of enemy fire. "Look, I don't know what's up with you two, but in case you haven't noticed; there's a war going on here."

Sasuke barely heard the mumbles under his breath on why this was why women shouldn't play multiplayer online shooters.

"Sasuke, please."

Sakura's tank rotated to shoot down soldiers hiding in the buildings. He made his best efforts to keep up with the number of casualties, but the girl continued to glide down the street in pursuit of him. And if that wasn't enough, the others were beginning to whisper over the microphone. The next immediate distraction was that incessant crunching noise.

"Oi, Sasuke, I don't think she's going to stop until you tell her whatever it is she wants to hear."

"Damn it, Chouji, will you put the chips away?"

Sasuke was thankful that Kiba was providing good cover fire. He ran out of the tank and straight into Naruto. Getting killed by the enemy was looking to be a better option. His right lip turned upward as soon as the kill came, and he passed out from the blood loss. But the moment he came back to life, he cursed the gods, for he was standing right in front of that girl once more.

"Oh there you are. Anyway, you still haven't told me why you're angry."

He ran off again, firing at random to clear the path.

"Sakura, leave me the hell alone."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong!"

Another growl came from Kiba as he was shot from the second story building. "Fuck it! Look, Sasuke do whatever the hell you have to so she can shut up. I can't take much more of this shit!"

It wasn't as if he had any control over the girl.

"Was it because I couldn't meet with you last night?"

A loud string of curses was followed by technical feedback. He barely caught a glimpse of Naruto as he ran off towards the ladder. The sounds of barking ensued at what he knew were those damn German Shepherds.

"I told you that I was busy, Sasuke. I'm sorry."

"Damn it!"

"Naruto! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Chouji. I managed to kill him." Naruto brushed away the dead dog. "Oi, bastard! Just tell her damn it!"

"Tell me what?" She watched as her ally war dogs came right past her and dove straight for other players.

"Naruto, shut up!"

"Why? What did you want to tell me?"

More artillery came their way and another player threw his signal flare, creating an intense blinding light that made it difficult to get past.

"Fuck!" He glared at the second Recon plane and continuous heavy artillery. "Now's not the time Sakura."

"Then when is? You won't talk to me at all when I try!"

"Sakura," he warned.

Their building was now demolished and the intensity of crimson began to pulse quicker.

"I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings, Sasuke."

Naruto's screams and cursing followed immediately upon the last blast from the tank. "Sasuke! Tell her already!"

"Was it because I was with Neji?"

He finally killed his fifth soldier. But upon hearing that statement, he accidentally sent the artillery to the wrong coordinates.

"Sasuke, you dumbass!" came Kiba's cry.

"Is that it? Tell me Sasuke! Was that it!?"

Their entire area was under heavy bombing, dogs ran amok and killed everyone on sight. White light blinded everyone's vision. Friendly fire confused comrades. No one could tell who was friend or foe anymore. And more grenades covered the entire area in a thick layer of gray dust. It was a full out frenzy.

"Sakura, I swear if you don't shut the hell up…"

"Then please just tell me!"

"I told you that now isn't…"

"JUST TELL HER!"

Both Sakura and Sasuke widened their eyes as every player online yelled their frustrations into the microphone.

After a quick scowl, Sasuke hid behind a corner. He was going to put the woman out of her misery himself. But one quick turn to the left and he was now within her gun's range.

"Were you jealous?"

Sasuke's entire body froze. His mouth opened and closed but no words came out. Hands remained glued to the controller and eyes to the pixelated metal on the screen. It wasn't until he heard a gunshot that his mind came to and that familiar screen appeared to signal the end of the game.

"Finally, that shut her up."

Kiba had scored the headshot on Sakura.

"Doesn't matter, Kiba. I got more kills. And the least deaths."

"The only reason your team won was because of Sakura being so damn annoying."

A chorus of 'yeahs' from other players followed.

"If it wasn't for her, I guarantee that I would have scored the most hits."

"Excuses, excuses… But hey, let's all grab something to eat, huh? What do you say, Sasuke?"

But he was no longer paying attention to the conversation. The console went off immediately, despite the concerned protests of his friends. He couldn't face them. Not now. And so he ignored their texts for a quick hangout time. He had foregone dinner as well, afraid to face any of them just yet. The chips in his plastic bowl were his only comfort at the moment. But he should have realized they would come by sooner or later. It was later on that night when a soft knock came from the door. One look at the peephole and he recognized his dimwit of a blonde friend nervously smiling and goofily waving at the hole for a chance to enter.

"Idiot." He had a thing or two coming his way. He knew the only reason Sakura brought up that conversation was because of the dumbass. And he wondered just how much it was that he told her. After a quick deliberation of leaving him locked out, Sasuke reluctantly opened his door to grant the boy entrance. That move, however, was immediately regretted when the blonde was tossed aside to reveal an angry pinkette hiding behind him.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke! She threatened me with…"

Naruto was effectively tossed in the hallway as Sakura took the liberty to allow herself in and lock the door behind her.

"We need to talk."

"Whatever."

"Will you stop with that attitude?"

"What attitude?"

"This one. Quit trying to pretend you don't care."

"I really don't care, Sakura."

"Yes you do or you wouldn't be going out of your way to give me the cold shoulder."

"I'm not particularly ignoring you. That's an idea you came up with on your own."

"Is that why you've answered everyone else's inquiries but not mine?"

He jumped onto his bed and grabbed a bowl of chips. "Homework, projects."

"Stop that."

"What? I'm hungry."

"I meant your stupid attempt at aloofness. It's pissing me off!"

"Hmm." He shrugged it off nonchalantly as he grabbed a chip and brought it to his lips. But before he could grab another, the bowl was snatched from his lap.

"Why didn't you just tell me you were upset that I was hanging out with Neji?"

"I don't care who you hang out with."

"Well would you have been just as pissed if I was hanging out with Naruto?"

"I'm not pissed."

"Then what do you call this?"

"Annoyed. You have my bowl of chips."

"I'm being serious here."

"So am I. Give me back my food."

"Can you just be honest with me for once?"

"I'm not lying about my hunger, Sakura."

"I'm talking about this whole ordeal. Just admit that it bothered you."

"Well if you would just give me my…"

"I'm talking about Neji!"

He sulked in his corner when she still refused to hand over the bowl of food.

"Sasuke, please…"

"It's not bothering me."

"Bull crap!"

"Believe what you want."

Fingers pulled at loose strands of hair. "You…you…ugh! You make me so frustrated!"

"Well, you know where the door is."

She wanted to punch him, kick him, strangle him…anything to relinquish this frustration. But when he turned on that blasted game and made an effort to ignore her, she decided to hell with it all. It wasn't worth it.

"Fine."

She stomped angrily and threw the bowl of chips onto the study desk. But even that didn't garner his attention. He continued to play as if there was not a care in the world.

"Tch."

She looked back when he died before making it to the checkpoint. Her hand rested on the doorknob, prepared to exit, but she still couldn't bring herself to leave. Despite the boy's annoying habits and exasperating personality, she wondered if deep down inside he was genuinely hurt over the situation. And if somehow, that alluded to something else altogether that had been plaguing her mind since that afternoon in which Naruto decided to open his big mouth.

"I don't like him, Sasuke."

She watched carefully as his character stopped in mid-fire.

"I don't like him. Not like that. He asked if I wanted to hang out, and I just said sure since I didn't have anything else planned. It wasn't exactly like I sought out his company. And I'm not sure what he thought it was, but what _I_ can say is that I don't feel that way about him."

She waited for any sign. A quick 'whatever.' A sigh and an 'okay.' Just something to reassure her that he was, at the very least, listening. The only cue she received indicating that he was waiting for her to finish was the fact that the game remained in its paused state. And she swallowed her pride to speak again.

"Because the truth is…well…I…I…kind of l—"

A small object was tossed her away and she immediately dove down with both hands to catch it.

"What?"

Sasuke's fingers pushed a few buttons, and she watched in complete wonder to the game's restarting menu.

"Hurry up and cover me."

"What?"

"Co-op. Need you to cover for me. I'm trying to get to the next area."

She only moved when his tired glare turned back to hers.

"Well?"

"Oh, yes! Of course." She settled down comfortably on his mushroom chair.

"Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"Try to shut up this time. I need to concentrate."

She giggled before settling further into the warmth of the chair.

"No promises."

His trademark smirk was all too reassuring.

* * *

><p><em>...Congratulations! Your one-shot evolved into an Anthology!<em>

**Author's Notes:**

This story was originally written for SasuSaku month way back when. After some conversations with some friends, I decided that I would turn this into an anthology. It would be my first. The stories that follow will not necessarily conform to any timeline/universe or be in correct chronological order. I will write them when I get the chance and when the idea hits me.

This chapter is based loosely on Call of Duty: World at War. It is probably spliced a bit with weapons from other games of the franchise. It's been awhile since I played, so I'm not quite sure. The same may apply to future chapters of other video games.

_~Icehaze_


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